On thanksgiving night, I decided that it was time to decorate our Christmas tree (I had put it up with the kid's the weekend before, but we got a bit sidetracked and never placed the ornaments on it.). Nathan's mom was gracious enough to borrow me some of her things, which made it all the more fun! I had so much fun decorating the house for Christmas and talking to my family for over two hours. I had to show you all some pictures of the finished product ;). Don't you just love Christmas!
The past two weeks at the Linc have been full of Christmas celebrations! Santa came to visit, we sang Happy Birthday to Jesus, we decorated Christmas cookies, made christmas ornaments, and today the kids are going to see the local lights. We've had more families give to the children then we could have possibly imagined. One family donated a pair of pants, a top, a pair of pajamas, and a toy to every child. A children's baseball team donated each child two balls. Another organization donated two large tubs full of winter coats, hats, and gloves. Plus, several families have decided to provide the children's mothers with gifts for the children to open on Christmas morning. It has been so awesome to watch as people have freely given to the kids. It is truly one of the greatest gifts to be able to see people pouring out love (a love that I believe comes from Christ) on these children day after day. This semester our volunteers have just blown me and Natalie away. They are amazing servants and I appreciate each person and family who has decided to do their small part in making a difference in the lives of this group of children.
This weekend we are having an "Old School Christmas Party" at our house with some friends. The attire is going to be old school christmas sweaters and our entertainment is going to be a real game (like the old school version where people bring random (cheap) stuff) of dirty santa. Bring on the Christmas spirit! Isn't Christmas such a wonderful time of the year!
Today is my last day of work and the Linc for 2 weeks! Thank you Jesus for my school schedule! I can rememember when I used to work in the Microbiology lab in Texas and I didn't even get Christmas off. Unfortanately, holidays did not cause people to stop being sick and so I would often work straight through the holidays. I try to reflect on those times so that I never take my days off for granted. I already have big plans for my fabulous Christmas break. First, I plan to paint one of my guest bathrooms. My lovely sister-in-law recently gave me some nice choclate brown paint and a cream paint and dark glaze for my cabinets. I am super excited about covering the blue walls that I thought I just had to have only a few short months ago. A big thanks to Nathan for being so understanding of my need to play. Secondly, we plan to take a long trip to the beach for some rest and relaxation!
Me and my brothers new baby, Colton.
Rachelle, Mark, and my mom. Her dress was very pretty!
My mom and baby Colton (we had to put his PJ's on him at the reception, he got really sleepy.)
On Friday, we received a cd of all of our wedding pictures, so I thought I would share a few more with you all this monday morning! It makes more sense if you look at the pictures from the bottom to the top. It is so fun to look at them all. It was a day filled with so much joy. I hope these memories always stay fresh!
